Washington D.C. – Maryland completed a dramatic seven-point comeback with a little more than a minute left to play to top host Georgetown 76-75 in a game littered with fouls and sloppy play. Freshman wing Kevin Huerter (6-7) Blocked a shot against Georgetown guard Jagan Mosely at the rim on the final play of the game.
Maryland took an early lead and the game ended up being tied at 31 at the half. The real story of the game was the officiating, which was poor to say the least. At the half there was 29 total fouls and at the end of regulation there were 56! There was a lack of flow to the game clearly with all of the fouls, but the game itself was entertaining and competitive throughout.
For Georgetown this loss will be a tough one to swallow. Blowing a lead in the final minute is never easy, let alone a seven-point lead. Georgetown had several key turnovers at the end, a Rodney Pryor travel and Tre Campbell stepped out of bounds. These turnovers kept Maryland alive and they capitalized.
Pryor (6-5, SG), a graduate transfer from Robert Morris, scored 32 points against SC Upstate last week but struggled to get much going against Maryland. Pryor used his length to get in the lane, but made more of an impact from the perimeter making 3-of-6 from three. He has the ability to score in bunches by using his driving ability and perimeter game to keep defenses honest. Other than scoring he does not provide much ability to get his teammates involved. Pryor finished with 14 points on 4-of-12 shooting and 3-of-6 from three, while getting six rebounds and two steals. Isaac Copeland (6-9, Jr.) showed an ability to score off the bounce attacking the lane often. Copeland is an intriguing prospect due to his size and versatility. He will need to become more of a consistent shooter to be effective at the next level. Copeland was extremely active on the glass using his length to keep balls alive on the offensive boards corralling six total. Copeland finished with 13 points, 13 rebounds, three steals and two assists.
The player who started to take over for the Hoyas was L.J. Peak (6-5, Jr.). Peak had a very efficient game. He did not come on until the second half, but attacked the lane at will and drew fouls regularly. Peak’s strong frame allows him to take on contact while maintaining control and finishing scoring plays in the lane. If he shows more of an ability to make the three point shot he will have a shot to be a 2018 draft pick. Peak finished with 21 points, one three-pointer, 5-of-8 from the field and 10-of -2 free throws with two rebounds in only 20 minutes due to foul trouble.
For a young Maryland team this was a huge confidence booster. Led by Melo Trimble (6-3, Jr.) the Terps stayed composed and pulled out a tough road (albeit 17 miles from campus) win against an old rival. Trimble was quiet much of the first half while in the second he looked like the Trimble of old. He has his explosive burst back when going by defenders. He doesn’t rely on his body, shielding defenders off as much on drives like he use to. Now he just blows by them or uses his patented crossover dribble to shake them off. Trimble finished with 22 points on 7-of-9 free throws, with two assists. The majority of his points came by blowing by defenders for layups during the Terrapin comeback. The most impactful player for Maryland was Justin Jackson (6-7, Fr.). Jackson has a ridiculous 7’3 wingspan and he uses all of it when playing defense and crashing the glass. He was the steady offense during the game when the Terps looked to be struggling or fading from the Hoyas. Jackson showed an ability to stretch the floor hitting 3-of-5 three pointers, while also being able to put the ball on the floor and driving the lane. Jackson’s versatility will be a mismatch against a lot of teams especially if Maryland decides to play small ball. Jackson final stat line was 17 points, on 7-of-12 overall and also grabbed seven rebounds.
Several other key performers for the Terps were Anthony Cowan (6-0, Fr.) and Huerter. Cowan had eleven points, five assists, five rebounds and three steals. Huerter finished with six points, five rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one steal. Bothe freshman have a nice future.
The Maryland and Georgetown rivalry needs to happen every year. The real question is will it. What does either team have to lose by scheduling each other. It’s one of the best areas in the country for basketball. Hopefully pride doesn’t get in the way of making it a tradition. Up next for Georgetown is Arkansas St. on Thursday while Maryland goes against Saint Mary’s (MD) also on Thursday.
This article was written by Greg Walter, a correspondent and scout for NetScouts Basketball. You can subscribe to our RSS feed from the upper right corner of our home page, follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.
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